Crystal basket lighting fixture



y 1967 c. s. WELLHOFER ETAL 3,321,622

CRYSTAL BASKET LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed March 5, 1964 M/Vf/VTORS. CARL S. WELLHOFER JUL/U5 FRIEDMAN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,321,622 CRYSTAL BASKET LIGHTING FIXTURE Carl S. Wellhofer, Gleuside, and Julius Friedman, Levittown, Pa., assignors to Lighting Corporation of America, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 349,577 1 Claim. (Cl. 240-128) This invention relates to a crystal basket lighting fixture, and more particularly, to a basket type lighting fixture having relatively rigid swags.

Heretofore the crystal basket portion of a crystal basket lighting fixture included swags made up from a plurality of individual glass prisms or the like strung on wire or string. In the present invention, the swags are one integral piece having a plurality of interconnected plastic prisms which are relatively rigid. Accordingly, the crys tal basket may be more readily replaced when changing bulbs, is not as readily subject to collapsing since the swags interconnect the upper and lower portions of the basket, and enable the basket to be made faster and cheaper.

In the crystal basket of the present invention, the swags are made in one intergral piece simulating a plurality of interconnected prisms. The swags are preferably made from a transparent or crystal-clear polymeric material such as crystal-clear polystyrene. The simulated crystals are effected by providing facets on the swag to retract light and give the sparkle of a crystal.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel crystal basket lighting fixture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide novel crystal basket.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel crystal basket which eliminates the problems associated with strings of simulated crystals which are time consuming to assemble, expensive to manufacture, and diflicult to replace.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a crystal basket which is generally rigid and self-supporting as a result of a generally rigid swag at spaced points around the basket.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel crystal basket lighting fixture which facilitates rapid replacement of burnt out bulbs.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view through a crystal basket lighting fixture of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the basket illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a swag used in the construction of the crystal basket lighting fixture.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, therein shown in FIGURE 1 a crystal basket lighting fixture designated generally as juxtaposed to the hole 14 in a ceiling 12 or the like.

The fixture 10 includes a socket mounting means 16 which is in the nature of a plate having a reflective surface 18 and a peripheral upstanding flange 20. A fiberglass pad 22 is provided above the plate portion of the mounting means 16.

The fixture 10 may be supported from the ceiling 12 in any convenient manner. As illustrated, the supporting means includes a support plate 24 on the opposite side of the ceiling 12 from the fixture 10. Bolts 26 and 28 extend through the hole 14 and are threadably coupled to the plate 24. The socket mounting means 16 is removably coupled to the bolts 26 and 28 by the provision of key-hole shaped apertures 27 in the plate portion of the mounting means 16. The head of the bolts extends through the larger portion of the apertures 27, thereafter the mounting means 16 may be rotated to a position wherein the heads of the bolts 26 and 28 overlie the plate portion there-of.

One or more electric light sockets such as sockets 30 and 32 are supported by the mounting means 16. The mounting means 16 is provided with a corresponding number of holes extending therethrough to facilitate the passage of electric wires which are to be coupled to the sockets 30 and 32. For this purpose, holes 34 and 36 are provided. The sockets 30 and 32 are conventional in construction. Hence, the particular details of the sockets 30 and 32 in the manner in which they are supported from the mounting means 16, per se, form no part of the present invention.

A crystal basket designated generally as 38 is removably supported by the mounting means 16. Crystal basket 38 includes a decorative band 40 at its upper end. Band 40 is removably coupled to the flange 22 by screws 42 or the like. The decorative band 40 is provided with a plurality of holes 44 at spaced points therealong adjacent the lower edge thereof. The band 40 may be made from a single strip with its edges overlapped and joined by a pair of rivets 46 or the like.

A plurality of generally rigid swags 48 are supported in depending relation from the band 40. Each swag 48 is in the from of an integral group of interconnected simulated crystals of the same or different configuration. For example a swag 48 may comprise a prism 51 which is shaped as a quadrangle or a prism 53 which is hexagonal in shape. The swags 48 are preferably molded from crystal-clear polystyrene with light refractive facets 55. Other materials and colors may be utilized if desired.

The swags, when molded, are straight and taper from their upper end to a lower end. The molded swag is placed in a suitable die and under the application of heat and pressure is bowed as indicated at 49. It should be noted that only the interconnecting portions 57 of the swag are bent. The back surface 47 of the prisms are maintained planar so as not to alter their refractive properties.

At the upper end, the swags 48 are provided with a pin 50 which is force-fitted or snap-fitted into the holes 44. The lower end of the swags 48 terminate in a tongue 52. The tongues 52 on the swags 48 are clamped between an inner plate 54 and an outer plate 56. The plates 54 and 56 are provided with aligned central apertures through which extends a hex-head nipple 58. A finial is threaded or otherwise removably coupled to the nipple 58. The threaded connection between nipple 58 and finial 60 provides for adjustable pressure for clamping the plates 54 and 56 together to hold the basket 38 in assembled relationship.

A glass or crystal-clear polystyrene ball 62 or the like may be removably connected to the finial 60. As illustrated, the ball 62 is coupled to the finial 60 by a wire member 64 extending through apertures in the finial 60 and ball 62. Due to the rigid nature of the swags 48, the basket 38- is self-supporting. That is, the basket may sit on any support surface without subsequent collapse of the swags as occurs when the swags are composed of a plurality of simulated or real crystals interconnected by a wire or string member. Accordingly, when the screws 42 are removed, the basket may be easily handled due to the fact that it is a non-collapsing basket.

The crystal basket 38 can be rapidly and inexpensively assembled. The holes 44 are preferably star-shaped and stamped out of the band 40 prior to bending the band 40 to the shape of a closed loop as illustrated. Since one end of the swags are force-fitted or snap-fitted into the holes 44, and since the tongues 52 in the swags 48 are clamped by the plates 54 and 56, the swags 4% are not subject to breakage in the same manner as the units utilized heretofore. The reflective surface 18 may be attained by chrome plating the mounting means 16 on one side thereof. Such reflective surface 18 directs all of the light downwardly and outwardly through the swags 43.

The facets on the simulated crystals of the swags 48 may be increased or decreased in number as desired. The fact that the swags are one integral member, facilitates rapid cleaning by wiping a damp cloth thereacross. Such cleaning can be eifected more rapidly than the swags of the prior art since the integral nature of the swags otters resistance to movement and can be approached by the person cleaning the same without the care or dexterity required by the prior art crystal basket.

Hereinafter, the :plates 54 and 56, the nipple 58 and the finial 60 may be referred to as support structure which is supported from the band 40 by the swags 48.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claim, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

A self-supporting crystal basket for a lighting fixture comprising an annular band, a plurality of spaced radially directed holes extending through said band, body structure disposed below said band, said body structure comprising a pair of plates in opposed substantially parallel relation, said plates having aligned central apertures, a headed nipple extending through said apertures, a finial threadedly coupled to said nipple for applying clamping pressure to said plates, an ornament depending from said finial, a plurality of rigid swags each having a first end coupled to said band at spaced positions and a second end coupled to said body structure, each swag having a plurality of interconnected light transmissive prismatic bodies, and a plurality of links rigidly interconnecting said light transmissive prismatic bodies so that said bodies on each swag are arranged in an integral rigid string, one of said pair of plates disposed at one side of said second ends of said swag at a location corresponding to an interior portion of the basket, and the other of said pair of plates disposed on the opposite side of said second ends of said swags at a location corresponding to an exterior portion of said basket whereby said swag second ends are clamped between said plates, said first end of each sw-ag being provided with a pin, each pin extending through one of said holes in said band, said first end of said swag being radially inward of said band, said pins being frictionally engaged in said holes, the widths of each said swag tapering from said first end toward said second end, a portion of each swag adjacent said second end being bowed, the radial dimensions of said body structure being smaller than said band whereby the second ends of said swags are disposed radially inward of the first ends of said swags, said swags being made of a clear polymeric material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 664,222 12/1900 K-rumwiede 240-106 1,699,100 1/1929 Dorey 240-106 2,513,565 7/1950 Johnson 240-108 X 3,167,257 1/1965 Harper 24010 FOREIGN PATENTS 442,957 7/ 1912 France.

1,293,964 4/1962 France.

706,647 3/1954 Great Britain.

NORTON ANSI-1BR, Primary Examiner.

C. C. LOGAN, Assistant Examiner. 

